Porsche 911 Coupe
full review with expert trade views

The Porsche 911 is that rarest of supercars – it's as comfortable trawling to the shops and back as it is haring round a track at break-neck speed.

For your more devil-may-care moments, the 911 is simply thrilling. Performance is breathtaking from any of the engines and the handling is taut, lithe and wonderfully accurate.

When you're in a more sedate mood, the 911 is a controllable beast. The ride is comfortable on any surface and it's arguably the easiest supercar there is to drive, so pottering around town isn't out of the question. Refinement is excellent, too, both in town and when cruising, although you do notice some rumble from the tyres.

There's even space for two kids on the rear bench, and if the family isn’t in tow the bench can be folded down for extra luggage space.

Trade view

Whichever version you go for, you won't be making a bad choice – all are terrific. The base-level Carrera cars come in coupe, cabriolet or targa body styles, and are powered by a 320bhp version of the awesome 3.6-litre engine, enough to propel it from 0-60mph in around five seconds.

Carrera 4 and 4S models have the same engine output, but also have four-wheel drive. These come in the coupe or cabriolet body styles only.

Then there's our pick, the Turbo. It'll cost more, but let's face it, no version will be cheap. Power is hiked up to 420bhp, meaning that performance turns from blistering to Tarmac-shredding. The standard 911 is special, but the Turbo is truly an event.

There are also two stripped-out racing models: the 375bhp Carrera-based GT3, and the 462bhp Turbo-based GT2. These are perhaps best kept for track use.

Trade view

If you're considering a 911, you've obviously got a few quid to splash, but even when buying used, you'll need every single penny. This is a car that cost between around £56,000 and £116,000 when it was new, and being so desirable, retained values are very strong indeed. Prices may well have come down by many thousands, but you'll still be paying a huge chunk of the original cost.

If you can still afford it, you probably won't give much of a hoot about running costs, either. For the record, most versions will return about 25mpg, but the turbocharged versions do 21.9mpg.

Insurance costs will be steep whichever version you buy, because all 911s are classified in the most expensive group 20. Despite relatively normal service intervals of 12,000 miles, routine maintenance will also be extremely pricey.

Trade view

Supercars have a reputation for being a little temperamental, but Porsche owners have reason to feel smug.

The 911 is the most reliable supercar you can buy and even has a better reliability record than many superminis and family cars. True, there's a good chance that your average used 911 will have been thrashed more than most cars, but then again the Porsche is more equipped to deal with it than most cars.

When you're spending this kind of cash, it's only sensible that you protect your investment with a few prudent checks - a few cars have needed new engines because of head gasket failure, for example.